Rendered
by Adair7
Summary: Summary: When I came undone, he grinned victory before unravelling himself. One night, one mistake, and a chance to make it right. E/B, AH, Angst, Romance, M.
1. Chapter 1 - Rendered

**RENDERED  
**by Adair7

Summary: When I came undone, he grinned victory before unravelling himself. One night, one mistake, and a chance to make it right. E/B, AH, Angst, Romance, M.  
Warnings for drug use, underage drinking, and sexual content.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**  
_WAREHOUSE_

* * *

The smell of damp earth surrounded me as a faint sprinkle of rain turned into an outright downpour. With a laugh, we dashed across the broken pavement, down the moss speckled stairs, and into the basement of the abandoned warehouse. Boarded up since 2004, the warehouse was on the fringe of civilization, located in the no-man's land between Forks and La Push. It was the perfect place for the locals to let off a little steam and just live, kids coming from as far away as Port Angeles to let loose. It used to be a come-as-you-please situation, but after the place had been trashed several times and nearly torched, a few people who called themselves the Volturi had cleaned it up, organized it, and set up some security. As long as access was still free, no one minded.

Alice grabbed my hand to pull me under the overhang with her before slamming her hand roughly against the metal door. "Brandon and Swan," she yelled out in hopes that our friend, Jasper, was working the door tonight.

I peeked forward, craning my neck as the door opened a crack, hoping to see who was inside.

"No small children allowed," the gruff voice answered, followed soon by a large hand that hovered two inches above Alice's head. "Must be this tall to enter."

"Oh, fuck off McCarty," Alice said, batting away his hand and pushing her way past the door man. "That joke got old three years ago."

"It's not my fault you shrunk in the wash," Emmett said, chuckling as my petite but feisty friend disappeared past the entryway and into the room proper.

"Hey Emmett," I said with a smile, bumping my fist against his.

"Bella, what brings you to the Warehouse tonight?"

I looked over his shoulder and into the room, seeing that Alice had already disappeared into the crowd of people. "Not much. Needed a break from the mundane, I guess."

Emmett's grin stretched a little wider, causing the dimples in his cheek to become more pronounced, and a devilish glint sparked in his dark blues eyes. "How much of a break are we talking?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on making any purchases tonight."

"Bella, Babe," he said, throwing an arm around my shoulder. It was a bit lopsided considering Emmett towered an extra foot over my 5'4 frame. "Does anyone ever really _plan_ these things?"

I was about to protest more, but was interrupted by a banging at the door.

"Hold up," Emmett called out. "I'm busy. Be with you in a minute."

He turned his attention back to me. "Here's what we're going to do, B. You and me have been friends for a long, long time. I'm going to let you try my new favourite product. It's revolutionary. We're talking fast hitting, moderately lasting, feels so good with practically none of the painful side-effects kind of amazing."

I eyed him curiously. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic, but that could have just been Emmett's naturally excitable personality. "What's it called and what does it do in exact terms?"

"It's called _Render_, and it will render you speechless with how fantastic it is. Not literally of course, it won't tongue tie you or anything. It'll just take the edge off of things and make you feel really, _really_, good. One pill and music will become physical instead of just auditory, like it's caressing your skin with every beat. Colours are brighter, you feel electric, and sex is just beyond description."

He saw the weariness in my eyes when he mentioned sex and started back-tracking. "It's not going to make you hornier or a total nympho or anything. It's just going to make it feel better if that's what you're going to do. Which you're obviously not. Unless you wanted to, of course. I'm always ready and willing, by the way."

"Down side?" I asked, interrupting Emmett's botched attempt to remove the foot deeply wedged into his mouth.

"The crash leaves you feeling numb for about an hour afterwards, because your senses seem dull after being heightened for so long, plus your average headache, irritability, inability to concentrate, possible nausea and that sort of thing. It's actually pretty mild. The flask you're trying to hide in your coat pocket is going to cause a lot more damage. Actually, I'd recommend you not drink whatever you're smuggling in here if you take the pill."

I considered, watching the party goers as I debated my options. Both of us ignored the fact that whoever was outside the door had started pounding again.

"How much does it cost?"

"$50 a pill," he said, his expression growing serious as we got down to business.

I frowned and sighed. "Sorry, Emm. The price is a bit steep for me."

"It's worth it," he said, his insistent tone backed up by the look he gave me. He grasped my hand in his, pushing my sleeves up so my hand was exposed, palm up in his. He placed a non-descript white pill into my palm and closed my fingers over it. "First one's on me. I still owe you for that water fountain in your front yard. This should cover it."

I couldn't help but smirk. "I don't think Charlie will appreciate your giving drugs to his daughter as payment for backing into his new birdbath with your jeep."

"But you will," he said with a wink. "Trust me. But don't drink when you take it. It's way too potent with alcohol so choose one or the other and keep it pure. Lasts four hours, give or take, maybe a little longer because you're so tiny. Don't drive while you're fucked up and you'll be golden."

"No probs. Thanks, Em," I said. I stepped around him and allowed him to get back to his doorman duties.

I looked at the pill and considered it. I wasn't opposed to not drinking tonight, saving my flask for a later date, but Alice and I had polished off the last of a mickey of vodka before coming in. Not enough to get drunk, but I was definitely feeling a healthy buzz. With a shrug, I popped the pill on my way in, noting that it was only seven, before making my way to the couches where Alice had located some other kids from school.

"Same old joke every time, I swear," Alice ranted, her hands making large gestures to animate her story. "I mean, seriously, what gives? You think he'd be tired of it by now. He gets bored of girls after a month, but three years with this fucking joke."

"And three years of this fucking rant, Alice." I laughed and sat down next to her on one of the four, unmatched couches in the 'living room' section of the warehouse.

She shot me a haughty expression. "It's tradition."

Jessica and Angela, the girls she'd sat down with, giggled and continued to talk until Jasper showed up with drinks.

"What can I get for you, B?" he asked, handing a coke to Alice. He had a gingerale and a sprite in front of him. The Warehouse turned a blind eye to underage drinking but they didn't sell to minors.

"I'll take the Sprite." I opened the Sprite and took a sip, smiling as the bubbles slid down my throat.

"Good choice," Jasper said with a nod. He didn't open his pop, and instead pulled a flask from his jacket and took a swig. "Where's yours?"

"Can't drink any more tonight," I said with a shrug. "I'm trying Emmett's new pill. So far, nothing."

"Render?"

I nodded. "That's the one."

Jasper grinned like a mad man and shook his head. "Just you wait, B. You won't know what hit you."

* * *

It took another fifteen minutes before things really kicked in. I couldn't drink my pop anymore because the bubbles tickled my nose and liquids in my mouth were just plain weird. Jasper and Alice kept trying to talk to me but I couldn't follow because the music had started and it was pressing into my skin, rolling over me and interweaving with my heart beat.

"Bella?"

I ignored Alice as I got up from the couch, taking a minute to appreciate the rough, corduroy material before making my way to the small dance floor.

Closing my eyes, I let the music wash over me. It pushed and pulled my body, moving me to the incessant pulse that was engraving itself on my soul. I danced until I could feel a light sheen of sweat on my body, but I still needed to move. The music almost felt like hands on my body, guiding my hips and twirling me around. I opened my eyes to see what was around me, but the colours were too bright, burning my eyes and making me feel a little nauseous, so I closed them again and allowed the music to direct me once more. I became lost in the music until it felt like my skin was on fire.

Overwhelmed by what it was doing to my body, I made my way towards the darker nooks and corners of the Warehouse until I located the back 'offices' and their haven of soft leather couches, darkness, and quiet. I collapsed onto a couch, but I'd underestimated the power of the music. It was still there, caressing my neck, my back, my lips.

I opened my eyes wide and searched the darkness for answers. "Music?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. I managed to locate another pair of eyes in the dim light.

"Too much," the eyes said. I tried to focus on the eyes and who they were connected to, but it was hard to break their gaze. With a great deal of effort, I expanded my periphery and determined that a very tall, lean, and devastatingly good looking guy was standing in front of me. At least he seemed attractive in the minimally lit room. I couldn't determine much of him from the shadows, but I could see that he had dark hair and the most arresting eyes I'd ever seen. He turned his head, causing the light to catch on his piercings, one ring on the bottom left of his lip, and another ring one the right side of his nose. Further investigation revealed further rings in the bottom of his left ear and the tops of both ears.

"Christ," I whispered, my attention drawn to the glittering metal of this stranger. Light flashed off him like fairies.

"Not quite," he murmured, his voice low and soft, pulling me closer. "Your lips are distracting."

I stopped my study of his lip ring and stepped back, taking further study of the Silver One. There were alarm bells going off in my head, despite my ability to concentrate, that were forcing me to take notice.

"Who are you?"

"Edward," he said, leaning his forehead against mine, his breath coming hard. I could feel his heart pounding as I placed my hands flat against his chest. Mine was racing too.

"My name's Edward," He repeated. His hands cupped my face and I could see his eyes focus in on my lips.

"Bella," I said. The words were hard to get out. With his sight focused on my lips, they felt heavy and full, burning to be cooled. My eyes flickered to his, with its silver ornament. His silver looked cold, like it could quell the constant burning of my lips.

I don't know who leaned forward first, but somehow we'd moved together, crushing our lips. His silver didn't cool me but caused me to burn hotter, needing more. Edward's hands slid into my hair, his thumbs caressing my neck. His touch sent shivers down my spine and I pushed myself closer to him, wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him tight to me as I lay back on the couch.

Things became frantic as we worked to remove the clothing barrier between us. He pulled off my t-shirt, pausing to pepper kisses down my collar bone, before removing his own shirt while I tugged off my black skinnies and moto boots. We both fumbled to undo his belt buckle, and he kicked his jeans off while I kissed my way across his jaw line and down his neck. He groaned when my lips touched his neck just below his ear so I kissed it again harder. His breath hitched and he lowered himself roughly, his boxer-clad hips pressing firmly between my legs letting me know how much he wanted me. He reached behind me and undid my bra, dropping it on the floor and he took my breasts into his capable hands and his even more capable mouth. I could be insecure about my small chest, but Edward was treating them with reverence, like mine were the most perfect breasts he'd ever seen.

"I need you," he said, pulling himself away from my breasts to whisper near my ear. His hips ground against mine and he sucked on my earlobe for emphasis, causing me to shiver as he gently scraped his teeth across it.

"Okay," I answered between ragged breaths. My fingers danced along the elastic of his boxers before pushing them down. He lifted himself off me long enough to remove both his and my underpants, before coming back down, sliding the length of his cock against me.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his body trembling with anticipation as he forced himself to hold still.

In answer, I reached down to put him into the right position and pressed my hips upward. He got the message loud and clear and entered me with a slow but firm thrust. I gasped at the sharp pain as he pulled out again, but didn't stop and it quickly got better.

His mouth was amazing, distracting me from the slight discomfort of our joining bodies until we shifted angles and things started to feel _good._ I lost myself to his touch and his body and let the overwhelming senses take over until he came with a soft cry and collapsed on me.

He rolled to the side and we lay tangled on the couch and tried to catch our breath. We lay there for a few minutes, until the feather light touches and caresses became increasingly needy and insistent. He pulled me on top of him, directing my hips with his hands until he'd entered me again. We rocked together and when I came undone, he grinned victory before unravelling himself.

We fell back exhausted and we lay together, saying nothing and staring at the ceiling, until our breathing evened out. I pushed myself up and looked over at Edward. He'd fallen asleep on the couch, his face suddenly looking too young and innocent for all those piercings. I smiled at him before turning to locate my clothes.

Edward still hadn't moved by the time I pulled on my jacket and boots, his only motions the steady rise and fall of his chest. I looked at my phone and saw that it was 2:30am and there were no less than six text messages from Alice asking where I was.

I picked up Edward's hoodie from the ground and pulled it over his body, covering his hips so he wouldn't be totally mortified when he woke up alone and naked. I was about to search for his phone to leave him my number and a message when I noticed a dark smudge on his left collar bone. I held my phone up to his chest so I could see better in its blue light and gasped at what I saw.

In elegant black script, _Elizabeth_ was written just above his heart.

"Fucker," I hissed and stormed out, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. I felt dirty from the mistake I'd just made, not once, but twice. It was bad enough that I allowed myself to get caught up in the moment and sleep with some random guy, but one who was already taken? I breathed deep as a wave of nausea rolled over me, pushing it out of my mind.

I walked back into the lounge proper and was almost instantly latched onto by Alice.

"Bella! Jesus Christ, where have you been?" She took one look at my face and narrowed her eyes. "What happened? Bella?"

I couldn't stop the tear the crept free and rolled down my cheek. "I fucked up, Al. Can we just go home. I need to shower."

"Bella?" Jasper stepped toward me, seeing something was wrong.

"We need to get her to your house," Alice said. "Your parents are still out, right?"

"Until Sunday," Jasper said with a nod.

I let them pull me out of the Warehouse and into Jasper's beat up 1972 Dodge Valiant.

"But my car," I protested.

"I'll drive you back tomorrow morning to get it," Jasper said, glancing back at me sprawled out on his back seat. "You're not in any condition to drive anyway."

We drove back to Forks in silence. I could tell that Alice was impatient to hear what happened, but I wasn't ready to talk yet. I didn't have anybody to blame but myself. I'd known that it was a bad idea but I'd gone for it anyway. I could take the easy way out of it and blame the drugs, but I knew that by the time we'd really gotten down to it and he'd asked my permission, I was thinking clearly.

Apparently not clear enough to ask if he already had a girlfriend.

"So fucking stupid," I muttered under my breath.

When we got to Jasper's house, I grabbed a towel and headed straight to the shower feeling the need to cleanse myself of all things Edward and Warehouse related. The steam and hot water felt like heaven and I allowed the spray to wash away my tears.

When I was ready, I turned off the taps and dried off quickly. I grimaced at the sight of my dirty underpants and tossed them in the trash before pulling on the rest of my clothes. I looked at my face in the mirror and frowned at what I saw. With a sigh, I left the bathroom and went back downstairs to the couch where Alice was waiting for me. She wrapped a soft wool blanket around me and the three of us stayed there, sleeping on the couches, until the morning.

* * *

**Note: I don't condone any of the behaviour of my characters, but it's fun to write when it's not real. Also, I'm just going to state right now that this is NOT a baby/pregnancy fic.**

Reviews are lovely and make my day.


	2. Chapter 2 - Elizabeth

**RENDERED: CHAPTER TWO**  
ELIZABETH

* * *

Mornings after the Warehouse suck.

The grey light of morning filtered through the gauze curtains of the living room windows, obnoxiously bright against my pounding headache and puffy eyes. I took a second to let my eyes adjust before taking in my surroundings. Alice had moved over to the love seat with Jasper, who looked hilarious with his long limbs sticking out over the edges of the furniture and his wavy blonde hair looking artfully matted. Closer inspection revealed that Jasper's shirt was on the floor and Alice's was inside out and backwards. I was glad I'd slept through that.

With a groan of pain, I pushed myself to my feet and journeyed up the stairs to the bathroom to use the facilities and assess the damage. A slight burn reminded me of what I'd gotten up to the night before and I raised my eyes to the ceiling, praying that the humiliation of a drug-induced fling and some bruising in a sensitive area were the only things I took home from the Warehouse last night. Thank goodness for the pill.

I washed up in the sink, taking time to press cold water to my swollen eyes and smooth out the knotted tangles of my hair. My lips were still swollen from the intensity of my impromptu make-out session and were chapped on the bottom where things had gotten a bit rough. All-in-all, it wasn't too bad, with an exception of the sickly pallor of my skin. There wasn't much that could be done about it at Jasper's, so I grabbed some toothpaste and brushed my teeth with my finger. It was amazing how much more human clean teeth could make you feel.

Alice was waiting to use the bathroom in the hall when I opened the door, so I let her pass and went back to hang out with Jasper, who had relocated to the kitchen. My stomach was conflicted about how it felt. On one hand, it rumbled hungrily when I smelled the bread in the toaster, on the other it flipped with a slight wave of nausea that was customary after a night out. In the end, the hunger won out and I slathered raspberry jelly and peanut butter on the perfectly toasted slices Jasper handed me.

When we were all seated on stools around the kitchen island and had all devoured at least one piece of toast and a cup of coffee, Alice couldn't contain herself anymore. She'd been fidgety all morning, just waiting to ask me what happened, silenced only by Jasper's slight head shakes and my pretended obliviousness.

"So, Bella..." she said, concentrating on her coffee cup so as not to seem too eager. "Where did you get off to last night? You were on the dance floor for at least an hour and then you were just gone."

I scrunched my nose as I pushed my toast crusts around the plate and contemplated the best way to phrase it. "The music got to be a little overwhelming so I went to the back offices to cool down and come back down to earth."

"And that made you cry because?"

"Alice," Jasper said, shooting her a disapproving look. She shrugged and tried again.

"So what happened in the back offices?"

I continued my study of the toasts crusts like they were arranged specially for me by Picasso. "I wasn't alone. There was a guy and things progressed a little quicker than I would have liked."

Alice slammed her mug down, her expression furious. "And he took advantage of you? When you were out of it? Who was it?"

Even Jasper looked tense and leaned closer to hear what I had to say.

"To be honest, I think he was high too. He certainly wasn't sober. Actually, I think he'd probably have just as much a case for me taking advantage of him. Possibly even more so. That particular door swings both ways, I guess."

"What exactly do you mean by taking advantage?" Jasper asked. His voice was calm and cool, but there was an intensity in his eyes I wasn't used to seeing.

"I slept with him," I said, not looking at either of them.

"Oh, Bella," Alice said, folding her arms around me and pulling me tight.

"Twice."

"Twice?" Jasper echoed.

"Sweetie, why didn't you tell me last night?" Alice asked. Her hands stroked my hair in a gentle, calming way. "No wonder you were upset. Losing your V-card at the Warehouse to some random? That's huge."

"Yeah, well. Seemed like a good idea at the time," I grumbled. "But that's not why I cried."

Alice stopped stroking my hair to look me in the eye. "Then why?"

"He's got a girlfriend." I could picture the tattoo with perfect detail in my mind. With better detail than I could picture Edward's face, if I was being totally honest with myself. "_Elizabeth_."

"Shit," Jasper said in a hushed tone.

"Did he tell you this after," Alice paused, gesturing with her hands as she searched for the correct word. "After you two...?"

"Technically, he didn't actually tell me," I admitted.

"Then how did you find out?" Jasper asked. "She didn't burst in on you two fucking, did she?"

"Jasper!" Alice said in a scolding hiss. I put a hand on her arm to let her know it was okay. Fucking is technically what we did. It was hard and passionate and certainly not in the same category as the more romantic 'making love'.

"No she didn't. He had a tattoo above his heart that said _Elizabeth."_

There was a moment of silence as we all let that sink in.

"You know, it might not be a girlfriend," Jasper said after a moment. "I don't know anyone our age who would have a tattoo like that. Maybe it's a relative, like a mom or a sister or something? Maybe he's just a really enthusiastic supporter of the Queen?"

My eyes were starting to water but I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "The Queen?"

Jasper shrugged and chuckled. "I dunno. Maybe he's into that."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yes. Pastel coloured skirt suits with matching hats and pearls are totally what guys fantasize about."

"Every morning in the shower," Jasper said with a wink.

"Gross," I said in objection and threw one of my crusts at Jasper. "I guess you're right though."

"I'm totally right," Jasper said with a mischievous grin. "The Queen's a total fox."

"Not that," I said, groaning. "The bit about it being a relative."

"There you go," Alice said, patting me on the back. "Just ask him next time you see him. Who is 'him' anyway?"

I opened my mouth to answer but held back. For some reason I wanted to keep his name to myself. "I didn't get a name."

"Kinky," Alice said, raising her eyebrows. "Didn't know you had it in you, Swan."

"What can I say?" I said with a sigh. "I'm starting my junior year with a bang."

"Cheers to that," Jasper said, holding up his mug.

"I'll probably never see him again, anyway," I said. "I've never seen him at the Warehouse before and he's not from Forks. Probably one of the Port Angeles kids come slumming."

"Pfft, you're not slumming, B," Alice said. "You're fully an upgrade."

"Better hope he's not from around here," Jasper said, his voice thoughtful. "If Charlie ever found out what happened... he's a dead man walking."

"Your dad does have a large gun collection. And a taser," Alice added. "He's clearly not from around here because there isn't any guy around here who would mess around with the heart of the police chief's daughter."

"Don't remind me," I said, folding my arms and laying my head down on them. "When he found out Eric Yorkie and I played seven minutes in heaven at Jessica's fourteenth birthday he invited Eric over to help him polish his gun collection. I've never been so embarrassed in my life and no guy has so much as checked me out since."

"I'd be more embarrassed that your seven minutes was with Eric. I mean, you could have at least gotten stuck with Mike Newton."

I made a face of disgust. "You know, this is what my main issue is. Maybe I wouldn't have to fool around with mystery guys at the Warehouse if there were any actual dateable guys in this podunk town. You snagged the only guy worth having in Forks."

"The problem isn't that there are no dateable guys. There are lots of dateable guys that Gram and Gramps would approve of. The problem is that there are no _fuckable_ guys, save mine" Alice said. She got up and laced her arms around Jasper, kissing his cheek. "And you can't have him."

"Now don't be hasty there, darlin'," Jasper said. "There's plenty of me to go around and I'm sure we could work out some sort of sharing plan."

"Oh, fuck off," Alice said, punching him in the thigh.

"Easy now," Jasper said, jumping back. "You were like, two inches away from sacking me."

"And don't you forget it," Alice said with a defiant smile.

I got up from my chair and stretched, feeling almost back to normal with a bit of food in my stomach and some reassurance from my friends. "I should be getting home now before Charlie gets back from his fishing trip. Can you give me a ride back to the Warehouse?"

Half an hour later, I waved goodbye to my friends and got into my truck.

"See you at school tomorrow," Alice called. "First day back."

"Right. School." This day just kept getting better and better.

* * *

Bobbing along to classic rock radio, I packed a ham and cheese sandwich, two oatmeal raisin cookies, and a bottle of orange juice into a paper bag while I finished off the last of my milk.

"Here's your lunch, dad," I called, holding it out to the front foyer where Charlie was pulling on his boots.

"You know," he said, looking at me with a crease between his brows. "There is something very wrong about this. Shouldn't I be the one packing you a lunch for school?"

I rolled my eyes in a joking way. "No way. Only freshman bring paper bag lunches to school."

"Right. Silly me," Charlie said, shaking his head in exasperation. "We old people have trouble remembering these things."

"You're not old," I said with a sigh. "Not _that_ old, anyway."

He took hold of the lunch and tucked it into the small duffle bag he brought with him to work, along with a thermos of coffee. I waved goodbye but he hesitated at the door.

"Bella," he started, then paused again.

"Yeah?" I could see that he clearly wanted to tell me something but couldn't seem to get it out.

"Never mind," he said. "It's nothing. Have a good day at school and stay out of trouble."

"Of course," I said. I didn't realize my heart was pounding until he stepped outside and I heard the cruiser's door slam shut. I had been certain that I'd gotten busted for going to the Warehouse but apparently I'd dodged that bullet. At least something was going my way.

I tossed an apple in my bag, made sure I had some money in the back pocket of my jeans, and left for school.

First days were always the same. Comparing schedules, scratchy new clothes that everyone pretended were old, and sitting through an explanation of the syllabus and rules in every single block. The only interesting thing was a bit of buzz about two new kids. In my morning blocks of Math, History, and Art, I hadn't seen any new kids and they were a no show at lunch. No one seemed to know much about them except that they were some sort transfers from back east – an emo guy who didn't say much and some prissy Barbie snob who refused to talk to anyone.

I sat with Alice and Jasper at lunch at our usual table, making sure to get there early before any freshman got it into their heads that they could claim it. Jasper tossed a cafeteria burrito and a coke in front of me and I gave him a fiver in payment.

"Have you seen the new kids?" Alice asked. "The girl's a senior but she hasn't been in any of Jasper's classes and the boy is a junior but he hasn't been in Math, PE, or Creative Writing."

"Ditto to History and Art," I said. I didn't need to talk about Math because Al and I were in the same class.

We scanned the cafeteria but didn't see anything more notable than some lost and terrified looking freshmen and Lauren Mallory trying to fake hide a nasty hickey while obviously showcasing it to the student body.

"Where's Emm?" I asked looking around. "I can't believe he's ditching us on the first day back."

"He hasn't answered any of my texts since third period," Alice said with a shrug. "Maybe he's trying to sell more of his pill out in the commons?"

"Maybe," I said with an obvious shudder. "Let's not talk about _Render_ anymore, okay?"

"Sorry, B," Alice said, her voice sincere. She gave me a sympathetic look and patted my hand.

"Whatever," I said and shrugged. "I think Charlie might be on to where we go, though. He was acting weird this morning. He was wearing his full on lecture face, but then said it was nothing and just left."

Jasper slumped in his chair. "Shit. If he tells Alice's folks, I'll never get her out of the house."

Alice paled, her already pale skin making an even starker contrast to her dark pixie cut. "It'll be full on lockdown. If Charlie knows he can't tell."

I shrugged. "I'll do what I can, but so far he seems reluctant to speak his mind. Maybe if we ignore it long enough, it'll go away."

"Let's hope," Alice said.

The bell rang and I sighed. "Three periods in and I'm already begging for winter vacation."

"Tell me about it," Jasper grumbled. He gave Alice a slightly inappropriate for school kiss, only removing his hand from Alice's ass to wave goodbye when I announced that I was leaving for Biology.

"Mr. Whitlock," Principal Greene scolded from doorway. "Mr. Whitlock! Step away from Miss Brandon."

* * *

Mr. Banner's Biology room was the same uncomfortable, stuffy, formaldehyde smelling room that it was when I'd had general sciences with him the previous year. So much for hoping two months of summer vacation had aired out the smell of dead things in the room.

I'd dawdled on my way to my locker, not too enthusiastic to get to bio, and had forgotten where I'd stashed the combo for my new lock in an embarrassing, practically freshman, blunder and was running a bit late. To my dismay, the seat I was hoping to take next to Angela Webber had been claimed by Ben Cheney.

"Miss Swan, hurry and take your seat," Banner said, hurrying me in. He already had his projector set up and was waiting with limited patience to flick off the lights. "I think there's a seat in the back next to Mr Coleman."

I scowled at the idea of sitting at the back. That's where the jars of dead things suspended in formaldehyde were stored. And Coleman? Who was Coleman? Maybe I was finally going to get a glimpse of the new guy. Hopefully he wasn't some waste of space that wasn't going to help out in labs. I'd had enough of that the year before in science with Tyler.

Coleman had his head ducked down so I wasn't able to get a good look at him until I was nearly to the table when he finally looked up at me. As soon as he did, I felt my heart drop to the floor.

Dark hair, devastating eyes, and those little bits of rebellious silver.

Fuck me.

Oh right. He already did. Twice.

I let my hair fall into my face, hoping to hell that he didn't recognize me or notice the fact that I'd suddenly flushed scarlet from my neck to my ears and took my seat next to him. I opened my notebook and stared down at it, refusing to look over at my new neighbour.

"It's you, isn't it?"

I was so wired that I actually jumped at the sound of his voice. It wasn't quite as deep as I remembered, but it was unmistakably him. I didn't say anything, unsure of how to handle the situation. He was supposed to be from Port Angeles. Why was he _here_?

"It's Cullen."

"What?" I couldn't help but glance over to him, burning cheeks and all.

"Cullen, not Coleman," he said again. He'd caught my eyes and held my stare. They were bewitching with their intensity and a beautiful shade of dark moss green that stood out against his fair skin and dark auburn hair. "My name is-"

"Edward Cullen," I said, letting him know I remembered his first name and everything else that one bit of knowledge entailed.

"And you're Bella Swan."

"Yes."

He extended a hand toward me, pushing it a little closer when I just looked at it. I broke out of my shock enough to grasp hold and he shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you. Officially."

The lights dimmed, bringing me back to the present, and Banner turned on the overhead projector so he could start his lecture for the day. I'd never been so thankful that Banner refused to modernize and preferred his old-fashioned projector with its obnoxiously loud cooling fans. It allowed those of us at the back to talk in some semblance of privacy.

"So what now?" Edward asked in a hushed tone. His hands were clasped in front of him, his eyes remaining fixed on my face.

I shrugged and tugged at my hair, keeping my eyes on the projected screen instead of his burning gaze. "I don't know. I've never been in this situation before. What happened... isn't exactly an everyday happening for me, you know?"

"And you think it is for me?" I couldn't tell if he was genuinely asking a question or offended.

"How should I know? You're the new guy. I don't know anything about you except that you and I were a little out of our right minds that night."

I chanced a look at him. His brow was furrowed and he was glaring at his hands as he picked at his nails. Now that he wasn't staring at me with those piercing eyes, I allowed mine to roam over him. Strong jaw, tall with long, leanly muscled limbs, and those silver rings looking more rock than emo. At least my drug addled self had good taste.

"You left me there." I could hear the accusation of his unsaid words. I left him there. _Naked_. _Asleep_. _Vulnerable._

"What was I supposed to do?" I whispered, my voice a hiss between clenched teeth. "You were passed out."

"I was _asleep_," he said. He said the words like he was talking about the weather, but his shoulders were too tense for this to be casual. "It was late, I'd had a long day, and I was a little worn out after... everything. You could have woken me up or left a note or something. Did you even try?"

"Why? So you could run home to tell Elizabeth what we'd done?"

He inhaled sharply, his hands clenching into fists on the table top. "No. Did you run home and tell _your_ mother what we did?"

"Your mother?" I asked, mixed parts skeptical and feeling like a complete asshole, leaning a lot more to the asshole side of things.

"Yeah." His voice was so soft I could hardly hear him.

I was almost too ashamed to ask but my chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease refused to let me sit in silent humiliation. "Why is your mother's name tattooed on your chest?"

I knew the answer before the words left his lips.

"Because she died."

"I'm sorry."

He exhaled deeply, like he'd been holding in his breath this whole time. "Me too."

Banner continued to prattle on and I shifted on my stool. Both of us were concentrating on the board, but I was pretty sure neither one of us was paying attention. I looked down and scribbled on my notebook.

_WANT TO START OVER?_

I pushed the notebook to the center of the table so he could see it too.

**YES**.

_HI. MY NAME'S BELLA SWAN._

**HI. EDWARD CULLEN.**

_NICE TO MEET YOU, EDWARD._

**SAME TO YOU.**

I peeked over to him and was happy to see that he was more relaxed, a hint of a smile curving his mouth. His piercings caught the light of the projector and I couldn't help but stare. They sure didn't make them like him in Forks. Even in a fitted grey T-shirt, jeans, and skater shoes, Edward's otherness stood out like the undeniable outsider he was. Aside from a few belly button rings, and the diamond stud a senior named Jane had worn for all of a week last Christmas, no one in Forks had really picked up on the whole liberal piercing thing - especially not the guys. I didn't even know a guy who had his ear pierced let alone something more adventurous.

He surprised me and reached over to my notebook, scribbling something in a hurry and I looked on eagerly, waiting for him to get his hand out of the way, making mental note that he was a lefty.

**I DIDN'T TELL ANYONE. AND I WON'T.**

I smiled, grateful for his discretion and wished that I could write the same thing back. At least I hadn't told them his name.

_OUR SECRET, _I wrote, hoping in all sincerity that it would be.

When the bell rang to dismiss class, I left smiling and not at all for the reasons I thought I would be.

* * *

**Going to leave it there because it feels like a lot of info dump / set up. Hopefully this rests those worries that all this was over the tattoo misunderstanding.**

Thanks to all the readers and hearts to all who left reviews. Truly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3 - Warned

**RENDERED - CHAPTER THREE  
**WARNED

* * *

Phys Ed, my own personal hell, was thankfully free of my friends and the mysterious Edward Cullen. I knew that most people liked to have friends in gym class – someone to talk to, a trusted teammate, and all that jazz – but it was the last thing I wanted. I was an abyss of hand-eye coordination. A few months ago, Jasper had shown me and Alice a hilarious video about a little dog that spazzed out whenever it tried to run and you find out at the end that, though it's funny, that poor little dog had some sort of brain deficiency that prevented it from being able to run properly. In a completely serious way, Jasper implied that maybe I had a similar brain deficiency and then tried to backtrack with a laugh like it was all a joke even though we all knew it wasn't. The result: nobody wanted to be on my team, even if they were my best friends. As humiliating as it was to be picked last for teams and generally make a fool of myself, at least I didn't have to do it in front of people whose opinions I actually cared about.

In English I was less lucky. Alice wasn't in my class, which I already knew from earlier schedule comparison, but Edward was. Like in Biology, he'd tucked himself into the back corner. Unlike Biology, he was thoroughly surrounded by everyone who hoped sitting in the back would keep Mr. Mason's keen eyes off them. Mason was a known quizzer, constantly calling upon students in class to answer questions. Sitting in the back was really the same as painting a large target on your back. If you really didn't want to be noticed, you'd sit in the second row, directly in front of the teacher's desk.

I frowned as I scanned the class. My perfect 'invisible' seat had already been taken, as had most of the second row, and anything near Edward was already taken. The only remaining seats were front and center. I watched Edward as discreetly as I could while I took my seat, but he didn't look up from the book on his desk.

I lingered at putting my books away at the end of class, hoping to walk out with Edward in a subtle, coincidental way, but he was through the door before the bell stopped ringing.

With no other reason to stick around, I headed out to the parking lot to meet up with my friends. Jasper and Alice were standing by his car, looking on in obvious confusion and I hurried to meet up with them.

"What's happening?"

"Emm's jeep," Alice said, motioning for me to speak in a quieter voice.

"Why are we whispering?" I asked. I looked into the windows of Emmett's jeep and saw him in the driver's seat, chatting up a pretty blonde in the passenger seat. "Who's the chick?"

"Rosalie Hale," Jasper said. "She was in Government with me last period and Spanish right before that. Total fox. Ouch! What the hell, Alice?"

"My elbow slipped," she said. Jasper rubbed his stomach while she gave him a smile that wasn't nearly as sweet and innocent as she was most likely aiming for.

"Rosalie Hale?" I prompted.

"New girl. Transferred from Chicago with her brother. Emmett ditched us at lunch to give her a tour of Forks."

"Forks or the backseat of his jeep?" I said with a snicker. "You said 'Hale' was her last name?"

"Yeah," Alice said. "Why?"

"If the other new kid's her brother, why isn't he a Hale too?"

Alice turned toward me and grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. "You met the brother? What's he like?"

I pulled my arm back and rubbed at the red marks her death-grip had made on my arm. "Geez, Al. Did you eat your wheaties today, or what? That hurt."

She just looked at me impatiently. Apparently my injury was second rate to her curiosity.

"He's the tall and broody type," I said, rolling my eyes at her 'tell me now' glare. "Lip ring, nose ring, auburn-ish hair, pale but not goth, and definitely not named Hale. Are you sure they're siblings? He doesn't look anything like Barbie over there."

"It's how she introduced herself in Spanish," Jasper said. "She spoke perfect Spanish. 'Hello. My name is Rosalie Hale. I moved here from Chicago with my mother, father, and brother, two weeks ago. My favourite colour is red and the only reason I'm taking Spanish is because your sexist school wouldn't let me take auto shop because I have tits.'"

"Wow, what did Smithson say?" I asked, thankful that Jasper was also fluent in Spanish and could easily translate.

"She said 'muy bueno, Rosalie' and clearly didn't have a fucking clue what she was saying after she said her favourite colour." Jasper laughed and shook his head. "It was priceless. She's lucky Smithson doesn't speak Spanish past the senior curriculum."

"She's got brains and balls," Alice assessed. "So what's she doing with Emmett?"

"Good question," I said.

We watched in awed silence as Rosalie leaned forward to give Emmett a chaste hug before opening the door and exiting the vehicle. She stood tall and slim, looking more like a model than any live person I'd ever seen in reality. Even in a plain black tank top, skinny jeans, and flats, she had more glamour in one strand of her long, corn silk hair than I had in my entire body.

She walked with easy grace across the parking lot and sat in the passenger seat of an old, silver Volvo from the 1980's. At least I was pretty sure it was from the 80's. It was pretty boxy looking and dated, even if the silver paint still shined like new.

"Is that him?" Alice asked, watching the Volvo pull out.

I squinted so I could see the driver through the glass. It was unquestionably Edward behind the wheel, but he seemed to be talking to Rosalie as they left and didn't spare a glance toward me. Emmett pulled out right after them, giving us a wink.

"Maybe Emmett's going to their house," I suggested.

"What were you saying about him not being a Hale?" Jasper asked.

"He introduced himself to me as 'Edward Cullen'," I said. "And he's on the class rosters as Cullen too."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Combined family, obviously. You should be more sensitive to that with your background."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said in an unenthusiastic voice. "Sorry. I forgot my Child of Divorce wrist communicator back home in my box of Single Income Family Cheerios. So sue me."

"Play nice," Jasper warned, "Or neither one of you is invited to the Warehouse with me on Friday. I have it on good authority that there is going to be an epic party there on the thirteenth."

"You're throwing me a birthday party?" I asked, my mood improving in an instant.

Alice flung herself into the passenger seat dramatically. "Jasper! You ruined the surprise!"

Jasper shrugged. "It's really not much of a surprise. We've done it for the past two years for all our birthdays. It's like tradition now."

"Make sure everyone I like knows," I said with a grin.

"So that's me, you, Alice, and Emmett," Jasper said with a devious smirk.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. But pretty much," I admitted.

We parted quickly after that. Jasper and Alice always took off right away after school in hopes that they could get to Alice's and have some couple time before her mom got home at four and the house turned into some seventeenth century time warp where they weren't allowed to be unchaperoned or even sit on the same couch. Charlie once told me that Mrs Brandon had been a wild child in their school days and had even streaked at their graduation ceremony so all her efforts with Alice were simply an attempt to keep history from repeating itself. Alice hadn't streaked yet, but I was fairly certain Mrs Brandon's cautions were only forcing Alice's hand to repeat history.

I got in my truck and drove home, already planning the spaghetti dinner I was going to make before Charlie got home from work.

I was surprised when I pulled in and the cruiser was already parked in the driveway. My watch said it was only quarter to four. Charlie usually didn't get home until five thirty.

"Dad?" I called as I walked through the front door. "What are you doing home so early? Is everything all right?"

"Can you come in here, Bella?" His voice came from the living room.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember if I'd re-hid my flask and my half-full bottle of whiskey after the weekend. I was fairly certain I'd hid them in the box of old toys, where they usually went. Had Charlie finally figured out my hiding place?

I dropped my bag at the doorway and took my time to pull of my shoes and hang up my hoodie.

"Sometime this century, Isabella," my dad called.

Isabella. Nothing good came from my dad using my full name. Still, my middle name hadn't been invoked. Maybe my secret stash was still hidden after all.

I shuffled into the room. Charlie was still in uniform, complete with pistol in the holster, and sitting stiffly on the edge of the couch. I made my way over to the wingback chair and sat down, facing him.

"Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to talk to you, Bella." Good. We were on nickname basis again. "I was going to this morning but it didn't seem like the right time. I take it you either saw or met the new students today at school?"

"Well, probably not all of them," I said, hedging his question. Was he talking about Edward and Rosalie? "There were a lot of freshmen. I'm sure I couldn't see them _all_."

"These two aren't freshmen. They're in the senior grades," Charlie said. He looked pained that he had to spell it out for me. "Edward Cullen and Rosalie Hale."

"Oh, _those_ new kids."

He gave me a look that said I was laying it on too thick and if I pushed my luck any further, my weekend privileges were going to be effected.

"Yes. _Those_ new kids." He looked me square in the eye and leaned forward and I dropped the fake smile I was wearing. "Now, Bella. I'm not supposed to share this information because they're minors and you're not on the case, but I'm going to do it because I love you and I want to keep you safe."

He paused to let that sink in and it had its desired effect. I was fully focused on what he was saying and taking everything he said seriously. "Why wouldn't I be safe around them?"

"You can't repeat this to anybody, especially not your friends. If Alice finds out, half the town will know by the time Jeopardy comes on tonight."

"I understand," I said.

"Now, the girl, Rosalie, she's fine. She's only dangerous by association, but I still want you to steer clear of her."

"Okay."

"The station was alerted that Edward Cullen was moving here from Chicago about two weeks ago. We were told to keep it quiet and to be ready for him, to keep an eye out for any trouble he might cause. He's got a rap sheet a mile long, and I'm not going to get into particulars, but the only reason he's walking free is because he's a minor with a history that forced the judge to be more sympathetic than he should have been. The deal was that Edward moves to a smaller town, away from the city, and cleans up his act and he won't be sent to a detention centre. Some recent evidence had been found and, if presented, the prosecutor was certain he could get Edward tried as an adult instead of a minor."

"He'd go to jail instead of juvie?" I asked to clarifty. "What did he do, exactly?"

"That's confidential," Charlie said. "I've already said too much, but I need you to know that this is serious and I need you to listen to me. The point of this is that Edward Cullen is bad news. I trust you, Bella, but I don't want him to pull you into his downward spiral. If he starts causing trouble around here, he could get others involved. I don't want you to be implicated either directly or indirectly in anything he may attempt in this town. You know that I allow you a lot of freedom, because you've never shown me you don't deserve it, but it's hard for me to watch you all the time when your mom's not around. I don't want to arrive on scene and have to arrest my own daughter or see her in a body bag. You know I wouldn't be able to survive that."

I swallowed roughly. This was a guilt trip and a half, knowing what I'd gotten up to the past weekend. My mom had left us when I was only a toddler and we both knew that the responsibilities of being a single parent were a burden to the man responsible for keeping the town safe. I felt the tips of my ears heat with shame when I thought about how I was going to sneak behind his back again on Friday to go to the Warehouse for my birthday. The trust he placed in me was so undeserving.

"Please, Bella. Stay away from Edward Cullen and everyone and everything he is involved with. If not for yourself, then for me. The kid's bad news."

If he only knew. He'd probably have a heart attack on the spot just to make me feel that much more guilty. "Okay, Dad. I'll stay away from Edward Cullen."

"Promise?"

I pictured Edward. That beautiful, tall body. The messy dark hair, just a barely staying on the sexy side of the sexy/unkempt line. The piercings that were an outward warning that he was different and armoured. Those amazing green eyes that seemed to burn right through me, to the very core of my soul. Promise to stay away from the most interesting and attractive guy I'd ever met, even though we'd already had sex (twice!)? Right.

"I promise, Dad."

Charlie smiled and slumped back on the couch in obvious relief. "Glad you understand, kiddo. I can't believe how lucky I am to have you. You wouldn't believe some of the stories the guys at the station have about their daughters. Stanley just found a bag of pot in his daughter's room when she left for school this morning-"

So Jessica wouldn't be crashing my party on Friday. Also, it was time to find a new hiding place for my flask.

"- and Eva, the new secretary, said she found some empty condom wrappers under the seat in her car last night."

Lauren wouldn't be able to go to the Warehouse on Friday, either. Excellent.

"I'm glad I don't have to worry about any of that with you. You're a good kid, Bella."

"What can I say," I said, inwardly cringing. "I had good training from my dad."

He beamed at me with pride and my smile almost faltered. I was so going to hell when I died. The deepest circle.

"I should go make dinner," I said. "Unless there's anything else you wanted to add?"

"Nope," he said, clearly pleased with how this conversation had gone. "Just stay away from Edward Cullen."

"Message received," I said with nod.

That night was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen. I dreamed of the sexy way he grinned crookedly to the pierced side of his mouth, of the way his voice sounded when he said my name, and the way his face looked when he came.

There was no way in hell I could stay away from Edward Cullen.

* * *

**So, I know the chapters are coming pretty rapid-fire now. I have some stuff coming up at the end of August / beginning of September, so I'm trying to write and post as much as I can before then.**

**Reviews are lovely and make my day. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and reviewing so far.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Rosalie

**CHAPTER FOUR  
**ROSALIE

* * *

Each tick of the clock seemed to be getting slower and slower. My morning classes dragged on and no amount of tasks could keep my mind occupied. My brain had started the day strong, at least finding some sort of segue into thoughts of Edward. Looking outside at the moss covered trees was obviously a turning point into thinking about his moss green eyes, my breakfast of toast was reminiscent of what I'd eaten at Jasper's the morning after, the silver faucets in my bathroom were his silver piercings.

As the day went on, the segue dropped out completely. A pile of leaves rustling along from the wind – Edward. Some pencil shavings on my desk – Edward. The back of Ben Cheney's head – Edward. It was completely ridiculous and pathetic, but I couldn't seem to help it.

The instant the bell rang, I was up out of my seat and headed straight for the cafeteria.

"Earth to Bella," Alice said, waving her hands in front of my face. "What's the deal?"

Startled, I stopped my scan of the cafeteria and looked down at my sandwich before recoiling in disgust. I'd packed my lunch this morning and it seemed I'd changed my mind halfway through slathering the bread with peanut butter and had topped it off with a few slices of ham and some cheese.

"Are you high right now?" Alice asked. "Seriously. Your concentration is nonexistent and that abomination of a lunch is absolutely revolting."

"I don't know. Charlie's just been on my case lately." I dropped the sandwich back into the paper sack and pushed it away. I considered myself to be a fairly honest person, at least around my friends, and was surprised at how effortlessly the lie slipped from my lips. "I'm just worried that's he's going to bust us for going to the Warehouse and that it will get in the way of my party. I mean, he is the Chief of Police. He knows what happens there. I'm pretty sure the only reason we haven't been busted yet is because he's deluding himself to procrastinate the realization that I'm no longer his little peanut."

Jasper made a choking sound as he struggled to contain his laughter. "Your dad calls you peanut?"

"Little Peanut," Alice corrected with a smirk. I picked up one of Jasper's fries and threw it at her, but the pint-sized Judas managed to catch it in the air and ate it.

"Awesome," Jasper said.

"Whatever, Cowboy."

"Alice!" Jasper hissed through clenched teeth. He motioned for us all to be quiet. "That is a secret name from my parents that I told to you in _confidence_. Keep the past in the past, especially at school."

I reached across the table and patted Jasper's arm in sympathy and looked at Alice with a faux glare. "We ought to call you Malice from now on."

"And make me wear my devil horns loud and proud, I know, I know." She waved her hand in dismissal. She looked up, past me and over my shoulder. "Long time, no see."

"Rosalie, this is Alice Brandon, her boyfriend Jasper Whitlock, and Bella Swan," Emmett said, indicating each of us to Rosalie Hale.

I had thought Rosalie to be pretty when I'd seen her in the parking lot, but it was nothing compared to in person. Her hair and skin were radiant, her teeth perfectly straight and white, her eyes a luminescent blue. She looked airbrushed and I had to resist the urge to blink to see if the photoshop filter would disappear.

"Nice to meet you," she greeted us, her voice lower than I had expected with an almost raspy tone to it.

"Same," Alice said. "So, how do you like Forks?"

"It's very quaint," Rosalie answered, only hesitating for a moment as she thought out her adjective. "It's just a bit strange to go from a place like Chicago, where you're very anonymous, to a small town where everyone seems to know your business before you even meet them."

"It's our small town ESP," Jasper dead-panned. "We're all in such close confines that our brainwaves sync together, it's all very scientific."

Alice and I laughed, but Rosalie just gave a tight smile and started to eat her salad in delicate, ladylike bites. Everything about her body language said 'we're done here' and it was only the pure adoration and unguarded happiness that Emm was showing that held my tongue and my eye-rolling in check.

Alice, however, had no such hesitations. "Sorry if this is a bit blunt, but is the other new kid your brother? I saw you leave with him yesterday."

Rosalie swallowed her bite and pulled a napkin from her tray, patting her mouth with it before replying to Alice's question. "Edward? Yes, he's my brother."

"Again, my apologies if this is a bit forward," Alice continued, her shark smile wide and very nearly genuine. "Why do you go by different last names?"

"Because I've been a Hale my whole life," Rosalie said, her polite smile erased from her perfect face. The girl who walked in had been sunny, radiant, and California gorgeous. The girl in front of us now was cool and angled like a Scandinavian warrior princess. "I have no plans of giving up my name. It's my legacy."

She returned her focus and left it at that. Her words had cut through Alice's bravado with no more outward effort than a hot knife through butter and she dropped her inquiry even though Rosalie hadn't actually answered her question. I looked to Emmett and gave him an impressed nod. If she could go toe to toe with Alice that flawlessly, she'd fit in at our table just fine - even if she was a little intimidating. He winked back indicating that he clearly already knew.

"So, Friday," Emmett said. "Warehouse opens at seven and I have one of Aro's boys, Caius, covering the door for me so I can participate in the celebrations. Are there any more arrangements you'd like me to make for the event?"

"No more _Render_," I said without hesitation.

"But Bell-"

"No." I said, cutting him off mid-protest.

Emmett slumped but accepted my condition and soon after I was shooed off so the others could plan more of a 'surprise' element, leaving me to wander aimlessly in the halls until Biology.

When the bell finally did ring, I was relieved my friends were there to see the embarrassing amount of enthusiasm I had to get to my seat before managing to get a hold of myself and reel it back. It was essential that I keep my behavior in check so that no whisperings of my fraternizing with an accused delinquent. I didn't need word getting back to Charlie that I'd practically skipped to my seat with a huge, dumbass grin on my face.

* * *

**WHAT? IT'S LATE AND IT'S OVER ALREADY?**

Yes, this is unfortunately the case. A bunch of stuff came up all of a sudden, starting with my birthday (yay me!) followed by a lot of last minute shifting and changes at work (eww, no!) and it's resulted in my writing time being severely compromised. It's really crappy of me to only post this little intro to Rosalie, I know, but I wanted to give you _something_ before I disappear for a couple of days while work gets itself sorted.

Thanks for understanding. Next chapter will be so, so, so much better, I promise!

Also, sorry, this wasn't edited yet. Any glaring errors will be fixed soon.


	5. Chapter 5 - Arizona

**RENDERED  
**CHAPTER FIVE - ARIZONA

* * *

I don't know if it made me a masochist, or just a teenager, but knowing that Edward was off-limits had somehow amplified how attractive he was. His hair was tousled in a sexy bed-headed, sex-hair way, and his bottom lip was pouted in just the right way as he frowned at something on his cell phone.

Despite the fact that I'd made my way to my seat like some love-sick teenager from a 1960's musical, I schooled my expression into what I hoped was my usual blank slate educational environment facade. A covert glance around the class seemed to confirm that it was moderately successful. A few people were looking at my table, but their gazes were clearly focused on Edward's silent, brooding self without a spare glance toward me. I was just another part of the scenery, not unlike the various jars of creatures in formaldehyde.

I'd never so focused on taking notes in my life and I almost jumped when a hand and a folded piece of paper slipped into my field of vision. The hand left as quickly as it had arrived but the paper remained, crumpled and conspicuous directly over the blank space my notes were travelling into. My eyes swept the class to confirm no one was watching and I opened it. 

**WHAT'S UP? YOU'RE SCOWLING INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK. DID I DO SOMETHING?**

I peeked at Edward through the veil of hair I was using to create a barrier between us. He was looking forward with the same false intensity that I'd had all class.

_NOTHING'S UP. YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING._

Except maybe commit an as of yet unknown crime worthy of jail, thereby inciting the wrath of Chief Swan. No biggie.

I could tell when Edward read the note because he let out a derisive snort before crumpling the note paper in his fist.

"Look ill," he whispered into my ear seconds before he shoved back from the desk and yanked me up by my arm.

"Mr. Banner, I'm taking Bella to the nurse. She's going to puke."

I ducked my head before people could see the panicked look in my eye as I puzzled to figure out what kind of stunt Edward was pulling. I hunched over and held my stomach with my free hand to try to look more 'ill'.

"Of course," Banner stammered out. I couldn't see his face but he sounded alarmed. "You're excused. Hurry."

Edward was already dragging me out the door by the time Banner answered.

I stumbled behind him down the hall toward the office and nearly fell when he suddenly cut to the right out a back emergency exit door that led to the parking lot. He finally stopped when we reached his car.

"Get in," he said, opening the passenger door.

"Why?" I studied him, weary from his sudden, drastic actions.

When he saw my expression his face softened and he looked almost apologetic. "I just want to talk. Someplace private?"

I sat down in the front seat. "It couldn't wait until _after_ class?"

"No."

He took his place in the driver's seat before shooting me an annoyed look. "You can close the door. Jesus Christ, Bella. I just want to have a conversation. I'm not trying to fucking kidnap you or something."

Feeling sheepish, I pulled my right foot into the car and shut the door.

"So... what do you want to talk about?"

His fingers worked to rub a non-existent spot from his steering wheel as he thought of what to say. "What changed?"

I left him to his invisible steering wheel dirt and decided to inspect the cloudy sky from the side window. "What do you mean?"

"I thought we were starting over. That we might even be friends, as fucking childish and dorky as that sounds, but you won't even look at me."

"I look at you," I said, turning and looking him squarely in the eye. His face was blank and controlled but there was a depth of pain in his eyes that caught me and churned my insides. Had I put it there?

"Who told you?"

"Told me what?" I asked. My question elicited a scoff and he turned away from me once more.

He didn't answer me. We both knew he deserved better than that.

"My dad is the chief of police," I said slowly, my admittance an olive branch extended between us. "He gave a strict warning not to fraternize with the enemy. This town's small. It only takes one person to make both our lives hell and get you sent back to juvie, or prison or whatever."

"So you know what I did?"

His words hung heavy between us and his whole being seemed to collapse in self defeat. It sparked my curiosity, but I wouldn't pry.

"No. He wouldn't say. Just said you were bad news with a bad rap sheet."

He smiled but it was bitter, like he tasted poison and tried to convince the world he like it. "Stupid kid stuff, mostly. Graffiti, petty theft, breaking and entering."

It didn't sound like 'kid stuff' to me, but I nodded and tried to look understanding. Was that really what all this was about? He got caught breaking into somebody's house? I know that it wasn't something to take lightly, but a simple B&E didn't seem like the kind of crime that would warrant this kind of attention.

"Mostly?" I asked, keeping my tone light and innocent.

"Mostly," he said, his expression grim.

It became clear that he wasn't going to elaborate so I switched tangents. "Well, what now?"

I waited for him to answer, but again he remained silent. He just watched me, waiting for me to measure the situation and act.

"I can't risk Charlie taking a solid look at my life and locking me in my room until graduation." My heart clenched as I watched his shoulders slump infinitesimally as if his was expecting this but had held some hope for a different outcome. "I wish we could be... friends, but it's impossible."

"We could be secret friends," he suggested with a grin.

I watched his face as I considered. It seemed like he'd thrown the suggestion out there as a joke – I had laughed a bit and he didn't look serious – but maybe it didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"We could," I hedged, letting my voice dwindle off.

"Wait, seriously?" He asked. I tried not to shrink under the intensity of his gaze. His eyes looked so hopeful but he still had the weary look of someone who was used to being disappointed by people. "Shit. I mean, most people know about my background before they get to know me so I just end up being ostracised and made into a villain. So, yeah. Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" I said. The way his eyes lit up brought a smile to my lips. He could make his face look as hard as stone all he wanted, his eyes gave his truth away. "I like you, Edward. I think we'd be good friends."

We both ignored the way we stumbled over the word 'friends', both of us knowing that our introduction was something more.

"So, how do we go about this?" He asked.

"Give me your phone," I said, holding out my hand. He handed it over and I programmed my number in and sent a text to my own phone so I could have his number before handing it back.

He studied my handiwork. "Arizona?"

"I go there in the summer to visit my mom," I explained as I pulled out my phone and programmed Edward's number into it. "My parents divorced when I was a kid."

He nodded. It kind of confused me, how he reacted to things. I ignored him and he dragged me out into the car. I told him I couldn't see him or be seen with him and he proposed that we be secret friends. I told him something important about my life and he just nodded, looking stoic as hell that I just gave him a piece of me that is fairly private. I mean, Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie didn't know where I went in the summers. Almost nobody did, except Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. Then again, he was new here and didn't know that.

He looked at me, raising a curious eyebrow. "What did you name me in your phone?"

"Elizabeth," I said.

He pressed his lips straight for a moment until I was a second away from promising him I'd change it when his expression lightened and he smiled. "Sounds perfect."

"Yeah," I said, smiling back. "Charlie won't be suspicious about girls' numbers."

"But what if he asks you who Elizabeth is?" he asked.

"He won't," I said, assuring him. "He went a bit mental when I added Jasper to my contacts and required him to come to several dinners during which he polished his gun collection, talked police business, and basically tried to intimidate poor Jazz into staying away from me forever. After that I just added guys under girl names and he never paid attention. But I was also more careful not to leave my phone out."

"Did it work?"

"Did what work?"

Edward smiled and the grey light of the overcast day caught on his lip ring. "The boyfriend. I take it he was scared away or we probably wouldn't be in this situation. At least I hope not."

I flushed red when I realized what he meant. "Okay, first of all, I wouldn't sleep with some random guy if I had a boyfriend. I wouldn't usually sleep with a random guy at all, actually. That was Emmett and his stupid pill. But no, I wouldn't do that."

Edward chuckled at my outburst and I relaxed, relieved that I hadn't offended him. "And secondly, Jasper's not my boyfriend. He's Alice's. My best friend."

"All that investigation and intimidation for a _best friend's_ boyfriend?"

I smirked. "Yeah. Charlie didn't get to be chief of police because he can grow a mad cop 'stache. He did have to earn it by developing some pretty intense investigative skills, even in a small town like Forks. _Especially_ in a small town like Forks. If you screw up around here, no one forgets it and no one lets _you_ forget it."

"Noted," he said, his voice somber.

"We should actually get you to the nurse," he said after we sat in mildly comfortable silence for a few moments. "If we don't follow through, someone might get suspicious."

"Just say I had to stop in the bathroom for emergency reasons," I suggested.

"And once we get to the nurse's station you go back to ignoring me?"

"Thoroughly, with the exception of lab work, during which I'll roll my eyes and look irritated with you at all times."

"Deal," he said and held out his hand. I took it and he shook it once.

"Deal," I said. "And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time, just catch me after class. I'm not much of an actress."

He just laughed.

* * *

**A/N: So my few days of work issues turned into two weeks of issues. They're still ongoing and my time is still crunched, but I think I should be able to post short chapters more frequently, mostly on/around weekends. Many apologies for the long wait for this one.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Goldfish

**RENDERED - CHAPTER SIX  
**GOLDFISH

* * *

The nurse sent me back to class after ten minutes of sitting around the school's sick room and her fussing about how my cheeks were flushed but I didn't seem to have a fever. Knowing that Edward's fox sly smile as he slipped out of the nurse's office had brought that rosiness to my cheeks only made me blush harder at the nurse's observation. I'd only just managed to keep things under control when I'd re-entered Banner's room for the last five minutes of class, and lost it when I saw Edward.

He wasn't looking at me. He was very studiously not looking in my direction and focusing with great intent on scribbling in the margins of his paper, but he was doing it with this _smirk_ that heated my cheeks in an instant. It was the grin of a sated cat, flicking his tail with pleasure next to the freshly vacated goldfish bowl. To me, it was maddening. I trained my face into an expression that was little more than blank and tried to look fatigued and embarrassed about my impromptu exit only an hour before. Lauren Mallory cringed away from me like I had leprosy and I assumed that I was convincing enough.

The bell rang and when I got up to leave, Edward's hand brushed against mine when we scooped up our books. I froze and looked to him to see if he'd done it on purpose, but he was already gone, halfway to the door. The touch must have been an accident.

English was my final class of the day and the minutes dragged on as though each second was cast in cement. I was usually able to lose myself in the tales, but even Wilde's intriguingly disastrous Dorian Gray couldn't capture my imagination today.

It was a relief to climb into my truck and drive home, allowing my mask to drop. It was exhausting trying to keep every little thing on the inside. I flopped down onto the couch, closed my eyes, and let myself sink into the worn upholstery. My phone chirped and I groaned, wanting just another moment of freedom before I remembered that Edward had my number now.

[where'd you go? i thought we were hanging] – Alice

I scrunched my eyes closed. I was supposed to meet up with Alice at Jasper's so we could plan my party on Friday. Shit. In my Edward haze I'd completely forgotten.

I texted back a note to say I'd be there soon and hauled my ass to my truck.

"It's about time," Alice said, dragging me inside the house when I'd arrived five minutes later. "Seriously, what is up with you today? Jessica said you blew chunks in Bio, but Eric said you were totally fine in English after, and you don't even let your _best friend_ know any of this?"

"I've had an epically bad day," I said, allowing myself to look strained and drained. "And there was no blowing of any sort of chunks for the record. Jessica can shove it."

"So what about the bit about that hot new guy carrying your half-dead, puke-covered self out of the bio lab?"

My eyes widened as I listened to Alice's story. "Is that what people are saying? What the hell?"

She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. To her it probably wasn't. What was a little drama in her life as long as people remembered her for it. "It's what Lauren was saying, but who knows where she gets her info on a day to day basis."

"Clearly not from reality," I said, not even attempting to filter the contempt from my voice.

"A lot of people said Edward carried you out, though," Alice said, avoiding eye contact. She kept her voice light and innocent, belying the fact that she'd sliced out the most important detail of the witness accounts with the deftness of a practiced surgeon.

"Lies. Slander."

"Damn," Alice pouted. "He's so hot."

"I'm right here," Jasper reminded her from across the couch in his living room where we'd settled in. "Besides, you didn't think he was _so hot_ until you found out he was a wanted man."

The chuckle that had escaped at Jasper's mocking falsetto 'so hot' stuck in my throat. "Wanted?"

"Serious shit." Alice's eyes gleamed with a devilish mischievousness. "Suspect in a murder case type shit. Dude's dangerous, like Jimmy Darmody."

Murder? My dad hadn't mentioned anything like that, and neither had Edward. I dismissed it. I hadn't known Edward long, but no one capable of murder would be able to come up with the sweet and endearing 'secret friends' plea. Fucking small town rumors.

"Jimmy Darmody isn't real," I said in a chiding voice. "Michael Pitt isn't even on Boardwalk Empire anymore, and he's creepy, not hot. And dude had some serious issues. You wouldn't think he was hot if you knew him in real life."

"Whatever," Alice said, waving a hand in dismissal. "The point is your birthday. This Friday at the Warehouse. What do you want?"

Relieved that the topic of Edward and fictional murderers was done with, I let myself fall into the mindless joy of party wish-listing.

"I want a band, a six foot tall cake with real whipped cream – not that canned shit – and vodka in a bottle shaped like a unicorn."

"Fuck off," Jasper said, tossing a small decorative pillow at me.

I mocked a pout. "It's my party."

"And you can cry if you want to," Jasper finished, "but this isn't some millionaire's club. How about an iTunes playlist, a piece of cherry pie from the diner, and a six pack of Lucky?"

"You can fuck right off, then," I said with a grimace and tossed the pillow back at him.

"Ew," Alice said, scrunching her nose at her beloved. "I hope you're joking."

Jasper just shrugged before leaning back into the couch. He pulled a semi-crumpled smoke from his pocket and lit it, taking a long drag before exhaling.

"Since when do you smoke in the house?" I asked.

"Since my dad stopped coming home at night," Jasper said, his voice thick with vitriolic disgust. The smile slipped from my face. His mother had only died from cancer six months ago. The wounds were fresh, the house still decorated with her careful touch. At least his father had enough shame not to desecrate the home she'd lived and loved in.

Alice plucked the cigarette from his grip and stomped over to the kitchen where she snuffed it out in the sink before returning to the living room. "Can we focus? Party details."

"Right," I said, giving the idea serious thought. "I fine with an iTunes playlist, you know my favourites. I want to dance. I want to get lost in the rhythm and feel the bass vibrate through my bones. I don't want to think anything but the incessant pounding of the drums. I want the red velvet cupcakes from the bakery, minimalist cream cheese icing, and I still want vodka in a unicorn bottle, but I'll settle for a unicorn sticker for my flask.

"Done," Alice said, flashing me her megawatt grin.

"And Emmett's wares are banned," I said. "No pills, no powders, no anything. This party can be wet, but I don't want any one flying high. Not even weed. Charlie's on high alert and he's a fucking bloodhound when it's on my clothes. A little febreeze doesn't fix that shit."

Jasper looked dejected but Alice's smile didn't falter as she said 'done' again.

I excused myself soon after, needing to get home and make dinner.

I set my cell on the counter beside me as I cooked but it remained silent. I pretended I wasn't disappointed. 

* * *

At school the next day, whispers blew through the corridors like a tornado. My conversation with Alice and Jasper should have prepared me for this, but I couldn't help the way my heart stalled and the blood drained from my face when I caught hold of a whisper.

_Murder._

Then next one bumped into my shoulder.

_Edward._

They came faster and harder, smacking me in the face with each maliciously spoken syllable.

_Edward. Murder. Criminal. Murder. Prison. Murder. Murder. Murder. Edward._

"What?"I asked the air. "What?"

Mike Newton happened to be standing at his locker in my general proximity, Edward's name fresh on his lips as he joked with Tyler Crowley, and turned his puppy dog eyes on me as though I'd addressed him directly. "Haven't you heard? Lauren's mom had to file the report. She had to do the paper work for his case worker in a murder case, and he's the top suspect. He's hiding out here because he got off on some sort of technicality."

I said nothing. I couldn't have if I wanted to. My words were stolen and all that was left in my head were the vicious words. _Murder. Criminal. Murder.  
_  
The bell rang providing a sweet reprieve from the onslaught of gossip and I filed dutifully alongside my classmates until my phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

[Parking lot. My car. Please.] – Elizabeth.

"I forgot something in my truck," I said to Alice, turning against the flow of the crowd. "I'll see you in class."

"Okay," Alice said, looking at my English text and binder in my hand with a quizzical cock of her head. We both knew I was lying but she was going to let me get away with it.

I wove my way through the masses, relieved to finally get outside and free from the crush of people. It took a second to spot Edward's car, he'd parked off in the far corner, but I jogged toward it when I saw that no one was left outside.

I climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door behind me before allowing myself to look at him.

Edward was slumped as low in the driver's seat as his body would allow him, looking like he was desperate to sink through the seat and straight through the earth to the other side. Even the rich tones of his mussed auburn hair looked dimmed and colourless in the grey of his misery.

"I didn't tell a soul, I swear," I said, my voice barely above a whisper even though there was no one to overhear us.

"I know," he said. His voice was raw like he'd been screaming or doing his best to hold one in. "You didn't know about it anyway. It was Lauren."

The way he said it was factual. The sky is up. The earth is down. Water is wet. Lauren ratted me out. He said it without anger, or hatred, or anything resembling emotion. He said it like words were dead and empty of meaning – they just were – and that scared me.

"It's okay if you're angry. You have every right to be," I said. I reached out a hand to comfort him but it never made it to his arm. It hovered there, inches away, and then fell back to my side. He didn't even glance at it.

"I'm not angry," he said.

He didn't look angry and I didn't know why I'd suggested it. Maybe because it would have been easier to deal with if he had been mad, raging against the injustice of rumors and slander in an enclosed system. But this... this _brokenness_... I didn't know how to deal with that. I didn't even know Edward enough to have any idea how the pieces fit together.

"Let's get out of here," I said. It wasn't a suggestion but an order. I pulled out my phone and texted Alice.

[Still sick. Need to go home. Call you later.] – Bella

"Where?" Edward asked. There was a spark of life in his deadened eyes that I took as a good sign. The emptiness in them when I'd arrived had been almost inhuman.

"Your house?"

He nodded and began driving. I called the police station and breathed a sigh of relief when Sue, my dad's usual receptionist, answered instead of Lauren's mother. "Hi Sue. It's Bella. Can you tell my dad I'm sick and have to go home from school?"

I listened as she clucked and fussed after me like a mother hen before I assured her I'd be all right and it was just a bit of a stomach flu. She regretfully told me that my father was going to be out in the national park looking for some guys hunting bears illegally and wouldn't be in to check on me while I silently thanked my lucky stars and told her it was fine. She let me go with the advice to get some rest and to drink plenty of fluids and told me she'd call the school to excuse me from my classes because Charlie was unable to.

"Thanks, Sue," I said, trying to sound feeble, and hung up.

"You're a terrible liar," Edward said in the same flat voice he'd used earlier.

I shrugged. Thick evergreens surrounded us as we drove into the outskirts of Forks before turning down a nearly hidden turn off through the woods that I hadn't noticed before. The driveway was long, adding to the seclusion of the house, but it seemed peaceful and private instead of isolated.

When we pulled up to Edward's home, I couldn't help but stare. It was clearly a new build. Everything was done in the modern style of blocky, square edges and large panes of glass trimmed with natural wood. It was amazing.

"You live here?"

Edward said nothing. He walked to the door and unlocked it, holding it open until I stepped through. I kicked off my runners but Edward kept his shoes on as he walked up the staircase and turned into a room. Not knowing what else to do, I followed.

We were clearly in his bedroom and I shifted uneasily on my feet to be in his most personal space when I barely knew him, despite everything we'd been through in the short time of our acquaintance. Edward sat down on the plush, black leather couch that occupied one wall next to a sleek looking stereo system and a wall of built-in shelves packed to the brim with CD's and vinyl albums. The bed, a sprawling king size on an expensive looking wooden platform frame with a blue plaid, flannel bedspread, was in front of a window that took up the entire space of the wall that looked out over the forest. There was a short wooden dresser that matched the bed and on it was a single framed photograph of a woman who could only be Edward's mother, but other than that there were no identifying features that gave me a hint into Edward's world.

Not knowing where else to go, I sat down on the black couch next to Edward and this time I didn't hesitate when I reached out for his hand. His fingers squeezed tightly around mine, taking this life line and holding on with all he had.

He let his mask of nothingness break. Though he didn't shed a tear, or scream out in anger, or anything drastic, he let emotion touch his face. His eyes darkened with sadness, emphasizing the dark circles of weariness beneath them, and his teeth worried his bottom lip until I became concerned that he'd break the skin.

"I thought I'd have more time," he said finally, his voice rough.

"It'll blow over," I said.

He made a choked noise that I think was supposed to be a laugh. "You're a terrible liar," he said again.

"Yeah, I know," I said, laughing the soft laugh you forced out when things were anything but funny.

"It's a better quality than being too good a liar," Edward said, his voice low. His eyes remained focused on his shoes and not on me. "Sometimes the lies come so easily, easier than the truth, and then that's all there is. A life of lies and the truth buried in some deep, dark corner of your mind too lost to ever surface."

"Have you ever lied to me?"

He looked directly in my eyes, startled. "No. Never."

He smiled a genuine smile that gave me hope, until it twisted into a sinister smirk. "Then again, I haven't had much contact with you."

"Don't," I said, stopping this line of conversation in its tracks. I squeezed his hand.

The moss green of his eyes was captivating as he held my gaze.

"So what now?" I asked.

"You're definitely going to need to stay away from me now. If Forks is like the past two school I've been to, things are going to get ugly."

"I don't want to," I said, surprised that I meant it.

He smiled, but it was small and hollow. A martyr's smile. "You have to for Charlie."

"But we're secret friends," I said, feeling childish as I said it, but it earned a real laugh from Edward and that made it worth it. I didn't care what people said about him – there was something there I connected with, that drew me in. From what I saw in front of me, from every moment we'd had, I couldn't imagine him harming anyone intentionally let alone committing murder.

He reached out his free hand and stroked my cheek, leaving a trail of heated tingles in its wake. His hand remained, cupping my jaw with his thumb resting on the apple of my cheek. We leaned closer together and my heart raced, pounding behind my ribs like a trapped bird, and I closed my eyes in anticipation of the kiss.

I could almost feel his lips against mine, he was so close. His breath ghosted over my lip and smelled faintly of mint. My lips parted slightly, waiting for him to close the distance, but he never did. Instead, he leaned his forehead against mine and let his hand drop from my face.

We sat like that for uncountable moments that at once felt like a second and like forever. We stayed together until my heart slowed to normal and our breaths synced to one. It was then that he spoke, his words more raspy whisper than true voice.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, trying not to cringe at how loud my voice seemed in comparison, even though I was whispering.

"For not asking if the rumors are true." 

* * *

**A/N: Work is settling. Expect more frequent updates. They're probably going to remain small like this. More of the fallout of the rumor mill and Bella's birthday coming up next.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Birthday

**RENDERED - CHAPTER SEVEN  
**BIRTHDAY

* * *

My fingers traced the outline of one of the many unicorn stickers that now adorned my flask and tried to smooth down the corner of one that refused to stay flat. The sticker was stubborn and refused to stick to the slick metal surface despite all my efforts. I narrowed my eyes at the offending sticker – a gallant, white stallion with pink and blue highlights in his flowing, holographic finish mane – and decided to name him Steve. Steve was clearly a trouble maker. After a few more moments of this, I gave up and tucked the flask back into my purse. Well, Alice's purse that I'd borrowed for the night. It was unseasonably warm and humid for September in Washington and even I'd had to admit it was too warm for a jacket. I needed some sort of bag to hold the items I'd usually cram into my coat pockets and Alice wouldn't let me show up with my school bag.

The party – _my_ party – raged around me as people danced, drank, and escaped the blandness of reality for a few hours, but my mind was distracted. I adjusted the straps on my dress and pulled at the hem, trying to make it longer without much success. I'd originally planned to wear a tank top and jeans, but Alice had insisted that I wear her new floral silk slip dress. She said the sensuous fabric and delicate cut would make me look curvy and feminine, enhancing all my girlish charms, but I thought it emphasized how unwomanly and childish my body was. At least my hair looked good. I'd twisted it into a messy bun and let various tendrils escape to soften the look.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Jasper asked, coming to lean against the wall beside me. He was breathing heavy and his face was dewy from the humidity and heat of bodies crushed together on the dance floor. "You love this song."

"Yeah, I do," I said. I hadn't paid any attention to the music. It was just a constant drone in the background that my thoughts had to battle with to be heard.

He scrubbed a hand through his tousled hair and scanned the room. "Who are you looking for?"

"No one." I said aloud. _Edward_, I thought to myself. I don't know why I'd hoped to see him. Emmett and his buddy, Garrett, were watching the door and they wouldn't let in a complete stranger to my party. Not when my friends had scraped together the cash to actually rent out the Warehouse for the night.

"Whatever," Jasper said, chuckling as he pushed off from the wall. He turned to face me and backed his way toward the danced floor. "You scan the room looking hopeful and then end up looking depressed when you don't find it. If you want to keep it to yourself, go ahead, but don't let Alice find out."

I nodded and waved him away. He rejoined crush of bodies without another glance and I took his advice seriously. Alice would want to know what I was waiting for and wouldn't accept any half-assed lies. I joined the crowd and danced until I forgot everything but the rhythm, until my effort beaded on my skin and stuck tendrils of hair to my face.

At some point, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. Faces surrounded me that I didn't know and disembodied hands pushed closer and caressed things I'd rather keep to myself. I pushed through limbs and torsos, forcing my way toward the exit and the air it offered. The mystery of the unknown people crashing my party became clear when I discovered that both Emmett and Garrett had begged off their duties and left the door unattended, but I no longer cared. I just needed to get outside.

The gravel lot outside the Warehouse was speckled with puddles from a recently ceased downpour and the scent of damp earth lingered heavy in the cool air. I was pleased with my decision to wear my favourite moto boots instead of the strappy sandals Alice had suggested. With a sigh of relief, I leaned my back against the chilled cement of the wall and welcomed the way it soothed the burning in my veins.

"Hey, Arizona," a low voice called from the darkness. "I was hoping you'd come out here."

I felt my lips give way to a smile despite my attempts to remain calm and unaffected, and I stepped cautiously into the dark, squinting to see Edward in the shadows. It was nearly impossible to find him, dressed completely in black like he was, but his metallic piercings gave him away with traitorous glints of reflected light.

I hadn't seen him since Wednesday when we'd escaped to his house and he'd thanked me for not asking him about the rumors. It was a clever move on his part because now I _couldn't_ ask him without looking meddlesome and contradictory. I'd been hoping for a kiss, but all I'd gotten was a glimpse into what nearly kissing him might look like before he pulled away leaving me so unsatisfied. He'd ushered me out of his house soon afterward, reminding me that I was supposed to be at home, sick, and should probably go there in case someone came to check up on me.

He hadn't shown up at school Thursday or Friday. The effect was no less than adding gasoline to the fire as the rumors surrounding Edward raged through the halls like an inferno. My stomach was twisted into knots, churning at the horrible things people were saying about him. Guilt sat heavily in my gut because I couldn't completely push the whispered horrors from my mind, a small voice constantly nagging at me, '_**what if it's true'**__?_

But here and now – here where he was flesh and blood before me, the steady sound of his breath gentle in the silent night – here I couldn't believe that he would be capable of any of the scandals plaguing him.

I allowed Edward to take my hand and pull me around to the darkest corner of the building, far from prying eyes. It should have occurred to me that I was potentially putting myself in danger, but in all honest truth I was excited to go somewhere dark and private with Edward.

When he finally stopped, I expected him to drop my hand, but instead he kept our fingers intertwined. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Within seconds, a small blue light flared.

"There you are," he said, a hint of a smile on his lips. I giggled at his flashlight app, and pushed it away.

"Someone will see," I warned.

He rolled his eyes and tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Sorry."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, wincing as I realized how rude I sounded. "I mean, outside. You could have come inside."

"Or not at all," Edward said, his voice completely even and devoid of tell tale emotion.

"I didn't mean that. It's just," I hesitated as I tried to find the right words. "You haven't been at school for the past few days. You don't know what they're saying about you."

"I know exactly what they're saying about me," Edward said. His words seemed to have a poison-tipped edge to them but it could have just been my imagination. "Rosalie still goes to school and she hears everything. She doesn't tell me but I heard her talking to Carlisle and Esme about it."

There was a beat of silence.

"My parents," Edward clarified. "Really, I'm not surprised. Nobody has said anything here I haven't heard at any other school I've been to. It just travelled a lot faster. Life in a bubble."

"Small town," I said, my voice glum. "Maybe you should have stayed in the cities where you're more anonymous."

"No one involved in a murder trial is anonymous," Edward pointed out. He tried to keep his tone light but his voice hitched on the word 'murder' like it pained him to choke it out.

I kept silent waiting for an explanation.

"It's not like they say," Edward clarified. "Listen, I don't want to get into it now. Just know that I would never, _ever_, hurt you, Bella. I wouldn't even hurt those assholes who are spreading all this shit about me."

I felt my world fall out of focus for a minute before racing back, crystal clear. His words rang with truth and a faint plea to believe him. In response I tightened my grip on his hand. I wouldn't abandon him, even if I had to pretend I didn't know him during the day. I couldn't get the notion that Edward was innocent out of my head.

"Okay."

Edward exhaled heavily, like he'd been holding his breath this whole time. Maybe he had.

A gust of wind rushed through and I shivered, aware of how much the temperature had dropped at night. My dance heated skin was left chilled and exposed to the cool night and I shivered. Edward must have picked up my shiver from a tremble that raced through me to my hand because he began to lead us back to where the cars were parked.

"Did you drive here?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I came with Alice in Jasper's car."

"Want to get out of here? Or do you have a curfew or something?"

I debated my next words with care. "I was supposed to sleep over at Alice's so I'm not expected to be home tonight."

There were several meanings that could be gleaned from my words. It was clear when Edward realized what I was really saying. His steady steps toward his car hesitated for an instant before he continued forward infinitesimally faster than he'd been walking before.

We climbed into his car and I texted Alice to let her know I'd gotten a ride and would see her later tomorrow, sending a silent prayer that she would be too drunk and swept up in Jasper to be too inquisitive into my whereabouts or call my house in the morning before I got home.

I looked to Edward expectantly and noticed his adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard.

"My house?" He asked.

"Won't your parents mind?"

He checked the clock on the dash when he started the car and shrugged. "They'll be asleep. They don't mind what I do at home anyway, as long as there isn't anything illegal happening. They're just happy I'm doing it in the safety of the house than out on the streets."

"Oh, the benefits of being a delinquent," I joked, my nerves at making a remark about his past eased as he laughed in earnest. I couldn't help but laugh with him, his smile so bewitching and his laugh infectious.

"They are few and far between," he admitted, "so I'll take the ones I've got."

We drove in silence to his house, but it was companionable rather than awkward. A nervous excitement buzzed through the car, an electric current powered by the hopes, desires, and fears that ran between us like a live wire. I wasn't sure what I wanted from this, but I knew that I wanted to be near Edward.

I could see his house was mostly dark as we emerged from his long drive into the secluded property. A single light was on, shining out over the lush foliage of the encroaching forest.

"Rosalie," Edward said. There was a breathless quality to his voice that sent a thrill through me. It's like we were running, racing for something just out of reach.

I kept my eyes on the lit window as we walked to the front door, but I didn't see any sign that Rosalie was looking out.

Edward held the door open for me and we let ourselves in, careful not to make a noise in the darkened entryway. I had to force myself not to tiptoe and followed Edward up the stairs and into his room. My relief at dodging Rosalie's awareness from the window was immediately crushed when we bumped into her at the top of the stairs.

Even in red flannel pyjamas, no makeup, and her cornsilk hair tied back in a messy ponytail, she was stunning. She raised a delicately arched eyebrow at Edward and stood in the center of the hall, her arms folded across her chest. She looked highly amused as I realized I was gaping at her and forced myself to close my mouth.

"Who's your friend, Edward?" She asked, smiling politely. I didn't trust that smile. It was predatory. I couldn't tell if her shark's grin was hungry for Edward or me.

"This is Bella," he said. His voice was cautious and I had the feeling they were both weighing the situation. "Bella, my sister, Rosalie."

"We've met," Rosalie said, her grin widening. "Briefly. You're one of Emmy's little friends."

"Emmy?" I said, holding back a laugh.

She either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me as she zeroed in on her brother. "Be careful, Edward. Things are already bad at school." Her eyes flicked briefly to me and then back to him. "You don't want to fuck things up at home too."

"I won't," Edward answered her, his voice solemn.

Rosalie shook her head and turned to walk down the hall toward what I was assuming was her bedroom muttering something about giving Esme a heart attack.

Edward said nothing and I followed him into his room, but the urgency was gone. Rosalie's presence and warning had done the trick and sobered us to the reality our raging hormones had decided to overlook. With the change in circumstances from earlier in the week, the feeling of Edward' room had shifted.

The lush black sofa on one end of the room look like an invitation to sultry touches and heated kisses, and the bed on the other end... The bed was a lit match held to a stack of dynamite.

I kicked off my boots and sat down on the couch, deciding heat was preferable to dynamite. I could see the situation work itself out in Edward's mind as his eyes flickered between the couch and the bed.

"I don't bite," I said, patting the couch beside me.

The look on his face was dangerous as he sat down. It was the look of a parched man lost in the desert who had stumbled upon an oasis and he wanted nothing more than a cool drink, as though his life depended on it.

We moved together, knowing instinctively what to do, meeting bodies and mouths, and pulses. His lips were gentle at first, placing delicate explorative kisses along my cheeks and my jaws, but their hunger couldn't be denied as his lips met with mine.

Fingers tangled in hair, tilted chins, grazed the scandalous bits of skin that peeked tantalizing from beneath t-shirts and rising hemlines. Our tongues touched, tasting the eagerness and need that we felt equally.

My head had been crystal clear all night, I hadn't touched a drop from my flask, but my world felt fogged now as I lost myself to Edward's touch. Need burned through my veins, striking hotter as he surged forward, pushing me gently back onto the couch and pulsing stronger with each motion of his body against mine as we struggled for the maddening friction we both craved.

I pulled away only long enough to look into his eyes. His pupils were large, making his eyes nearly black with desire and want, his lids heavy and hooded as he focused his gaze on my lips. I knew mine were as irresistibly bee-stung and bruised as his and in that moment, being apart became unbearable.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back to me.

We spoke only in gasps, and moans, and murmurs of pleasure as we kissed and touched and explored. I don't know how we kept our heads enough to keep our underwear on, our retreats as we reached our barriers less resolved each time, but we remained somewhat clothed, if not decent.

At some point we ended up tangled in the soft, warm flannel of his sheets. My fingers had been dancing around the elastic of his boxers but he pulled my hands up, placing them flat against his chest so I could feel how his heart pounded in the cage of his chest like a frightened bird. Mine raced along with his and my breath was as laboured and uneven as his.

I smiled at his peaceful gaze as we struggled and lost the battle as sleep gathered hold of our exhausted bodies.

The last thing I remembered before falling deep into the oblivion of dreams was Edward's gentle sigh that sounded a lot like _'happy birthday, Bella'_.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. **


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